Los Alamitos Unified ranks as top O.C. district

Feb. 5, 2010

Updated Aug. 21, 2013 1:17 p.m.

1 of 1

Kindergartner Jego Rocamora points to the long cat, as opposed to the short cats, on the diagram, while being tested by his E.I.E.I.O. teacher Ruth Van Gilder during class at George B. Miller Elementary School, in La Palma. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Kindergartner Jego Rocamora points to the long cat, as opposed to the short cats, on the diagram, while being tested by his E.I.E.I.O. teacher Ruth Van Gilder during class at George B. Miller Elementary School, in La Palma. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

At Los Alamitos Unified, success isn't just a goal, it's an expectation, say the district's parents, teachers and principals.

"All the schools here do an extraordinary job of teaching students, and it shows by our test scores and by the number of families moving here just for the schools," said Erin Kominsky, the principal at Weaver Elementary.

Los Alamitos' six elementary schools each earned a medal in the Register's 2010 survey of public elementary schools – four gold medals, one silver and one bronze – a performance that propelled it to No. 1 among Orange County school districts with elementary campuses. Click here to see our database of all 388 schools.

Its schools excelled in test scores, as well as offered a solid environment for students to learn. Four schools have an API score above 900, and the district boasts the second-lowest average class size of 22 students. The district passing rate of 56 percent for the state's Physical Fitness Test is highest in the county.

Irvine Unified ranked as the second best district overall. The district placed first in academic ranking, and ninth for school environment. Anaheim City School District placed last in the Register's district comparison, with no schools earning medals, followed by Santa Ana Unified.

Clara Young, a parent at Springbrook Elementary in Irvine Unified, said she was disappointed her district was not ranked at the top. Still, she said she was proud of her district.

"Irvine schools have ranked near the top year over year," she said. "I know there are some built-in advantages we have here that don't exist in other places, but our schools still do a tremendous job."

Both Irvine Unified and Los Alamitos Unified also rank as the districts with the lowest student poverty rates and least amount of English learners, two factors many educators attribute most with hindering academic achievement. About 6 percent of students in Irvine qualified for subsidized meals, while Los Alamitos Unified reported that about 8.2 percent of students qualified for the meals.

Districts like Tustin Unified, Newport-Mesa Unified and Orange Unified ranked in the middle after each had individual campuses rank in the top 10, but also had schools near the bottom.

District size showed some correlation with district quality in the Register's district ranking. Five of the top six districts had fewer than eight elementary schools, while the five bottom districts had 13 or more elementary campuses.

Deborah House, an analyst with the state office of education, said smaller school districts in general tend to have more academic success than larger ones for a variety of reasons, including less administrative bureaucracy, the ability to more easily target struggling schools and more local control of district policy.

But comparing districts can be a lot more complicated than comparing schools, said county Superintendent William Habermehl. Districts, especially the larger ones, can often have a wide range of achieving schools, making average district scores somewhat misleading, Habermehl said.

For example, Laguna Beach Unified, with a total of two elementary campuses in some of the county's most affluent neighborhoods, can't really be compared fairly to neighboring Newport-Mesa Unified, with 22 schools that draw students from different neighborhoods and backgrounds, he said.

Habermehl said districts are best measured when they are compared against themselves over time.

"The most important thing is that districts, and all their schools, show they are improving from one year to the next," he said.

User Agreement

Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial
slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about
tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to
allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to
republish your name and comment in additional Register publications
without any notification or payment.